Whizzing through County Tipperary ..

November 24, 2009

… as it’s done for centuries … From the 4th or 5th Century it was the seat of the King of Munster, whose kingdom extended over much of southern Ireland …

… until in 1101 it was handed over to the Church

The 28m (92ft) Round Tower is the oldest and tallest building on the rock, enabling inhabitants to scour the surrounding plains for potential attackers

It started raining while hubby and I were there, so our stroll around the grounds had to be more than a stroll !! …

… and raindrops fell on our camera lenses !!

We found shelter inside the Cormac’s Chapel with it’s Romanesque carvings over the doors …

… and then walked across to the Museum which is housed in the Vicar’s Choral (the peaked roofed building on the left of the third photo) … where there is a small but interesting display of artifacts from the early centuries .. . like this Cashel bell from the 9th Century … which stands about 40 cm tall ..

Below is the original St Patrick’s Cross, a copy of which stands outside in the elements at the original spot where this one stood until 1987) St Patrick is said to have visited Cashel in 450